Fear Of A Lesser Man
by fando
Summary: After hearing Ritsu's half-assed confession, Takano becomes agitated and paranoid. Onodera doesn't help matters, spending less and less time with the man he supposedly loves, acting on-edge. It's becoming more and more obvious that his "I love you" came way too soon.
1. Chapter 1

Onodera got lost.

It was one train ride and it was the same every day and Takano needed to find him, oh god, he'd simply, suddenly disappeared and he was on this train somewhere. He had to be. One minute he'd been leaning against the window, the lights bouncing off his hair, and he'd been amazing to look at. Takano had suddenly felt shaky fingers slipping into his palm right before he'd disappeared. It had been so sudden. Frantic, Takano pushed past women and children and men even though the idea was stupid. The possibility wasn't there in a crowd like this. He'd have to wait.

His knuckles turned white gripping the standing pole. He tapped his feet.

He could barely make it to his stop.

He jumped off.

He found out his fucking phone couldn't pick up a signal inside the station, and he wasn't leaving; what if Onodera was still on the train? Or maybe, Takano had missed him getting off and he was already at the apartment. His palms felt empty; he squeezed his phone, and once he was outside and walking up the sidewalk it buzzed back to life.

 **3 Missed Calls from Ritsu**

Takano hummed. The weak signal in that station had caused more than one catastrophe in the past, but it had never involved Onodera before. But he'd called. Was he worried? Takano smiled as he called Onodera back.

"Onodera, good, you-"

 _bip bip bip bip…. Call Disconnected_

Grinding his teeth, he wiped it away from his ear and glared at the screen. What the fuck? Now it read:

 **4 Missed Calls from Ritsu**

He paused in the middle of the street, pondering over the integrity of technology. Had they thought, at the same time, to call each other and they fizzed out each other's calls? And then again it buzzed, urgently.

 _Incoming Call from Ritsu_ He picked it up, sighing in relief. "Onodera?"

"Takano! It's me."

"What do you think you're doing, running off like that?" Takano started down the street again. He didn't know what about Onodera made him snappy, but he pushed back all the time and it had never had seriously negative consequences. He pouted at the phone.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" said Onodera, breathing heavily. "I was looking for you, too!"

"You can't scare me like that! Jesus!"

Onodera laughed. "You were scared?"

"Of course I was! What's with you? You didn't think I'd be a little scared after you disappeared so suddenly? Where are you?"

"I'm in the direction of the train station. I'll be there in two minutes."

Even though Onodera couldn't see him, Takano nodded and tried to hang up. Just like he could read his mind, Onodera yelled from his end of the line, "Don't hang up."

Takano frowned. "Why not?" he asked.

"… I want to stay on the phone with you."

"Huh?"

"Um, I have something to tell you. I should probably wait, but I don't want to. I've been waiting to say this all day. I didn't mean to lose you." Onodera chuckled. "That's where everything got messed up. I had a plan. I'm sorry, Takano. I don't know how I lost you like that."

Takano paused in the middle of the street. His hand fell off his hip. His mouth hung open. The softness in Onodera's voice was too familiar and too much like Oda's.

It was apologetic. It was healing. It was killing him. Onodera sighed heavily into the phone, saying nothing.

Then, he whispered, "I was terrified."

Takano couldn't say anything. This was too real, and that which was too real was too much; he didn't even know what this was. What was Onodera trying to say? Haughtily, almost dismissively, he cleared his throat. And, looking up, he could see Onodera walking down the hill as he walked up it, and they stared at each other, their phones to their ears.

"W-well, Onodera, what?" Takano tried to put his hand on his hip but it slid off. "Are you some seven year old afraid of losing his parents on the train or something? That's stupid. Come over here."

"Takano." Onodera stumbled down the hill toward him. Maybe this was a dream. Takano's arms hung, limp; his phone clattered to the sidewalk. This wasn't Onodera, this was another of Takano's fantasies, he'd fallen asleep on the train, Onodera was still lost. Obviously. In the middle of the street, Onodera clung to Takano's shoulders, catching his breath; Takano grabbed him and hugged him.

"I had a plan," said Onodera, almost bitterly.

"Shut up, you idiot," muttered Takano. "Running at me like we're in a corny romance movie. What's wrong with you? And what's up with your voice? I swear to God, Ritsu, you're really like a lost seven yea-"

"Listen for once, Takano. I need to say something. I've been planning it all day and I'm sure of it, and if I don't say it now I'll-"

"-r old lost on the train. What are you going on about? I-"

"-'ll lose my nerve. I had a plan. I love you."

"-I don't understand you, I-"

"-I love you!"

"-I don't know what you're going on about, you idiot and-"

"I love you!"

"-I don't care about your plan, Onodera!" Takano yelled. He shook Onodera's shoulders because this was a cruel joke to play on a waiting man, and Onodera looked so fucking smug under his shadow like he knew something. "Listen to me! If you're pulling my leg, I-!"

He was so beautiful. Onodera was so… beautiful.

He couldn't take it if this was a joke.

Onodera started to laugh. Takano pressed his lips so hard into a line that the skin turned white. Onodera reached up and, without explanation, without giving Takano anything but the necessity for faith in him, without granting even that, he kissed Takano. Right there, on the street, at midnight, Takano's cell phone shattered into a thousand plastic pieces under their feet, he kissed him.

Takano pulled away. He tried to look angry; he held onto Onodera's shoulders so hard, his knuckles turned white. Onodera didn't even flinch.

"But why-"

Onodera shook his head. "I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

They thought they knew everything about love, but they were only clueless.

Takano climbed the hill that led to the apartment as RItsu stumbled down it. Their hands were in their pockets and on their hips, curses on their lips, burning cigarettes, and Takano wanted to believe Ritsu but he couldn't. His brows were drawn together hard. Smoke crackled on the tips of his cigarette.

"This is absolute shit..." he said to the face of his final manuscript. "This is absolute _shit_."

"I'm going to be late," said Ritsu. "Shit."

Takano squinted at the paper as Ritsu squinted against the wind. Why _the fuck_ was the text so tiny, and what _the hell_ was the character saying? He felt like he was misunderstanding something about the plot. He paused on the curb, lighting another cigarette. He could just imagine Ritsu muttering about his health, all his complaints. Takano, don't smoke in the lobby. That cigarette smog is going to kill you, he'd say. Takano, Takano, for me, keep yourself alive.

Well, Ritsu could just suck it. He hadn't even shown up today to uselessly yell at him and to piss him off. And furthermore, for the past two months he'd been acting off. Like a spinning top spun wrong, he was off-kilter.

A stranger rammed into him and he dropped his papers.

"I'm so sorry!" said the stranger as Takano knelt, avoiding that shrill, hard-on-the-ears voice.

"It's okay," he muttered. _Oh, Jesus, shut up._

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking, it's my fault, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The stranger dropped to his knees. No, it's okay, just leave. Takano avoided his eyes, unable to avoid that voice. He hated people who kept going on about nothing. God, and the sorry state of that crackling, dead-wood-on-the-fire voice. This person was either a crack addict or just liked to scream Bohemian Rhapsody to God in his spare time.

Takano wondered who would love a voice like that. He pushed his glasses up. "'It's really _fine._ "

"Ugh... u-um… here, I think this one's y-... Takano?"

Takano looked up. Immediately, he snatched the papers away.

"Seriously?" he snapped at Ritsu. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Sorry! I was doing something."

Takano stood up, grunting. "You're always fucking doing something," he muttered. "You never have time for me anymore. What, are you avoiding me at the office, too?"

Rubbing his eyes, Ritsu rose. "It's not... like that." He yawned.

"You look like shit."

"Thanks."

Takano grabbed his arm. "I can lecture you about being, oh, two hours late during _Hell Week_ later. Come on. I'm taking you out to eat something. And what happened to your voice? Have you slept at all?"

The crease in Ritsu's brow got darker. He laughed, out of place and out of context. Takano's brow furrowed. That laugh would fit in at frat parties. It was used by tipsy, giggling people who went on like everything was a joke, and those people who hung out with crackheads in Red Lobster parking lots. Ritsu shoved his papers in his bag and adjusted the strap with his thumb.

"Wait, Takano... were you in the direction of the apartment building? You weren't looking for me, were you?" Ritsu laughed again.

"You were two hours late. Of course I was going to look for you. Now, answer my question: have you slept at all?"

Ritsu chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm just working hard."

"Of course you are," said Takano darkly. "You've been working hard for two months now. I'm starting to wonder what you're up to."

Ritsu forced another laugh; when Takano kissed his cheek, he blanched and frowned, his firsts clenching. He shoved his bag into Takano's hands. "My manuscripts are all in here and they're all edited."

"What-"

"Please, can you deliver them to the printers when you deliver yours?" He adjusted a misbuttoned button on his coat. "And look over them one last time for me? I need to go back to my apartment. I forgot something."

Takano grabbed Ritsu's arm. They stared at each other. Ritsu tried to smile, but Takano wasn't having that. "You should be at work. Onodera, why were you so late? You never told me. Why are you two hours late? Why would you need to go back to your apartment when you're already this late? Onodera?"

Ritsu yanked his arm away. He glared and shoved Takano back. Pedestrians cast sideways glances at what could develop into a street fight. "It's not any of your business, is it, Takano?"

"What do you mean, it's not my business? Stop that. Stop talking like you don't give a shit." Slowly, Takano put his cigarette out. He puffed it out and, dropping it, ground it against the bottom of his leaned in close, letting his smoggy breath fall on Ritsu's face. Ritsu coughed, but he didn't complain. His eyes didn't even talk. Why _the fuck_ was Ritsu running, and who _the hell_ was he running to? Who had, for the past two months, been taking up Ritsu's attention, space, and time? And why was Ritsu so edgy? Why didn't Ritsu want to touch him anymore?

God as witness, Takano tugged Ritsu's wrists, butterfly-kissing his eyes and open-mouth kissing his neck. Ritsu jumped a foot backwards.

Takano frowned. "I was going to take you to get some breakfast but, since you're so busy, dinner will do. I'll wait for you tonight," said Takano. "It'll be our first time in two months. One of these days, you're going to have to explain to me what's going on."

Ritsu shook his head. "Taka-"

"You need to tell me what's going on," Takano said, stubborn. "Ritsu."

"Look, just _drop it_!" Ritsu stepped back. "Have a good day!" He ran back up the hill.

Takano watching him run up the empty sidewalk until he was gone, gone, gone. He clutched Ritsu's bag, as if that would bring him back down here. But he wasn't good enough for magic tricks like that. He was just another empty man on the edge of the sidewalk.


	3. Chapter 3

Takano turned around. Since this, what was happening now, could not in his wildest dreams be _actually_ happening- to him, right now- he laughed it off, and continued to walk back to Marukawa. For the past couple of months, Ritsu had been acting strange. But, he had never done anything too suspicious. Since this was not actually happening,Takano shouldn't have been thinking what he was _actually_ thinking.

 _I am being ridiculous._

He nodded to himself, but his hands were shaking, and when he got to the lobby and Yokozawa saw him and waved, Takano ignored him. He didn't have the capacity for anyone else to occupy his thoughts. Everyone was faceless. The receptionists, his Emerald team, his best friend, they didn't. What had love done to him? He'd always thought he'd understood it. He never, never thought it could scare him this much.

On the sidewalk, he'd wanted to chase after Ritsu. But he was afraid.

Ritsu had pulled away from Takano as if a stranger had touched him, flinching like between them there was nothing. Takano sat down at his desk, putting on the face that, in this situation, only he could muster. It came from practice, but even a master of disguise like him was losing it. He didnt like this new Ritsu. The old Ritsu was on this stupid, tattered bag, that smelled like vanilla and grass and air freshener and cherry blossoms, and sweat and freshly washed sheets and patchouli…. Someone like that couldn't be marched into the elevator and stabbed the button.

 _Ritsu and his face. Ritsu and his arms. Ritsu and his skin. Ritsu and his hair. Ritsu and his lips. Ritsu and his eyes. Ritsu and his kiss. Ritsu and all of that and another man._

He didn't trust Ritsu.

He couldn't.

He put his hand over his mouth. He was supposed to; Ritsu, after all, was Takano's first and only love. Of course he should trust RItsu. Bsides, Ritsu outperformed his expectations at work. At school, he'd done that, too. He was an all around good guy. Well rounded. Nicely developed. Mature. He was an all around well-behaved, quiet, kept to himself, distrusting even... Takano pressed his hand into his eyes. Shit. He needed to question Ritsu about his behavior, reasonable doubt or not, because it was killing him to imagine all those sticky, dark reasons.

Takano was frustrated and terrified but mostly confused, and people don't have emotions like this on the train, but the protagonist always meditates discreetly and sternly in the drama movies. He tapped a tune against his thigh, his brows knitted together, _meditating_ as if his life was being filmed for a soap hit the end guard-wall as the train jerked, but he didn't even notice.

People like Onodera don't _do it_ with strangers; he had never been for that stuff. So, Ritsu had fallen in love. Why would he fall in love? He had Takano. Takano was the best for would make Ritsu so happy. He would kiss Ritsu every day, spoil him, buy him everything he could afford, and he would make him breakfast and pretend they were married. Why didn't Ritsu want that? Of course he did, but why not from _him?_

 _I am the best for Ritsu._

 _I am the best for Ritsu._

 _I am the best for Ritsu._

Someone sneezed, someone coughed, Takano felt sick. Ritsu was soft. Ritsu could glance his way and it would send him stuttering. Ritsu was beautiful... and they shared so much history, and at one point Ritsu had loved him. But what if there was someone better? Someone more handsome and more intelligent? A doctor or a lawyer? _What if he had been one-upped?_ He put his head in his hands. Someone tapped his shoulder, asking him if he was going to throw up, and don't do that in the middle of the train please, but he replied that he'd throw up on everyone if they didn't stop touching him.

There was someone out there better for Ritsu. He knew it. There was someone in Ritsu's bed, better for Ritsu. He coudn't ignore this. He was so afraid. This is what love did to people. It overrode reason and shredded dignity, and Takano was powerless to do anything about it. The train screeched to a halt and he jumped off. He needed to get home, to him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Knock knock._

"Onodera."

 _Knock knock._

"Onodera."

 _Knock knock._

"Onodera."

 _"Takano?"_

After ten minutes, the light snapped on under Ritsu's door. Takano wanted to punch it and kick it. He wanted to break it down. He wanted to hold Ritsu in his arms, gently, and smell the fresh patchouli, but everything smelled like cigarette smog and he couldn't do anything about it. He could just yell. He was so nervous.

"Onodera, get your ass out here! _Right now!"_

"It's three in the morning!"

"Yes? And?"

"What the heck could you want at three in the morning? Go the hell away!"

 _I_ want _to touch you and taste you and smell you and keep you._

"I want you to open the goddamn door!" He yanked on the doorknob."That is an order from your boss! Or I will- I swear to God, I will give you so much more work that you won't even be able to remember what your apartment looks like by the time you're done with it all!"

"Fine, fine."

"I swear to god, if you have someone else in there, Onodera, I will _kill_ whoever it is!" He could hear Ritsu unlocking the door. Takano gulped. His voice dropped to a mutter when he said, "Please, Onodera, I love you."

Then, the door opened.

Onodera's bare arms were crossed over his bare chest. His bed-head was wild. There _he_ was- the man that he loved since high school, the man he yearned for at night- with his hair a mess, his shirt askew, wearing only boxers, standing there as if nothing was wrong with the situation. His eyes traveled shiftily up and down the hallway.

"Oh, man." Ritsu rubbed his hand through his messed up hair. "How did you find out?"


	5. Chapter 5

Takano started to cry.

Quickly, he turned away from Ritsu. If some stranger in the building walked past, fine, fuck them, but Ritsu couldn't see him like this. Slowly, Ritsu placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. People shouldn't feel like shit on New Years' Eve, but regardess there was smoke everywhere. It wasn't real smoke, actually, but it was in Takano's head, the only image he had of Ritsu's lover, so it was as good as choking him.

Takano could let Ritsu have as many men as he wanted in his bed. He could let Ritsu suffocate him. The others would all be better and they would all smell like and be as untouchable as the cigarette smog, and Takano would forget everything and forgive anything. It was Ritsu. He had no choice. He wrapped his arms around Ritsu tightly.

"Takano? Did something, um, happen?"

Takano pressed Ritsu's head against his chest. "I love you, for fuck's sake, that's all there is to it. It's from my heart and I mean it more than anything I've ever said to you. Do you understand?"

"U-um..." Ritsu tried to turn around and get away, but Takano wouldn't allow that of all things. Ritsu sighed, looking down, blushing. "Th-that was one big love confession…. I really wish you would cut it out with that all the time. It's getting old. But what does this have to do with her? I don't understand you at all."

Immediately, Takano let go, stepping back. "Her?"

"Oh, I know what happened! Someone at the office must have told you about it, right?" Ritsu chuckled; Takano's fists clenched. "I bet it was Kisa. I told him not to tell anybody, but you know how he is."

Suddenly, Takano shoved Ritsu backwards; he slammed the door behind them, damn whoever heard it. "Seriously? Does this fucking please you or something?" he shouted.

The humor in Ritsu's face drained out."Hey, Takano, what are you getting so angry for?"

"I'm not angry! I'm terrified! Why don't you fucking understand anything about this?!"

"But you know now, so- why are you so angry?"

When Ritsu reached for him, Takano stepped back. He turned around to check the rooms. He needed to get rid of the smog. And, because Ritsu wasn't bothered, it meant Ritsu didn't love him. It hurt but it was RItsu. As Takano scoured the apartment, Ritsu, shadowed in the sidelines, folded his arms. "You're being ridiculous, Takano."

"So what if I am?!" Takano snapped, coming out of the closet.

Ritsu followed him from room to room. "Could you just listen to me? I'd like you so much better if you actually listened…."

Takano hesitated. He couldn't listen for shit. He really, really wasn't the best for Ritsu. "I know!" he barked over his shoulder. He knew everything. He whipped around, wanting to kiss Ritsu, but stepped back; not yet. Bedroom, bedroom, there's where it was coming from. Bedroom, bedroom. The most obvious place.

Ritsu's place was always such a mess, so the clothes all over the bedroom floor wasn't a surprise. Picking up the clothes, he pressed them to his face like he had with Ritsu's bag, but the patchouli had gone away with the warmth. Some of these were smoking with cigarette smog- no, all of them were. Ritsu had been touched everywhere.

"Am I the only one that doesn't know about… her?!" he yelled over his shoulder. Ritsu didn't respond. "I should have known sooner! You've been acting so fucking suspicious lately, after all! I'm a jackass for not noticing it! Ritsu!"

Takano's shaking hands dropped the clothes. Kneeling, he picked up sweaters, shirts and socks, like pieces of manuscript that had been blown down the sidewalk. Against Ritsu's protesting and squirming, he tried to force a sweater onto him. But all it did was crumple around his neck. He couldn't understand why this wouldn't work.

Or was it, it wouldn't work because he couldn't understand? He didn't know how to make the old Ritsu come back. Takano kissed his ear. He was so deaf to this. He didn't understand a thing.

Ritsu wrapped his arms around Takano. At first, Takano thought that maybe, just maybe, Ritsu was letting him be selfish. Ritsu shoved himself into Takano's space, burying his face into his neck. His arms around him were tight. His skin was soft. He was half-dressed. He was someone else's. It was Ritsu. He hoped that Ritsu would start explaining this, saying how he wanted no-one else but Takano, but he knew that wouldn't happen. What would happen to them? Would they live in this sort of strain? Takano could die of second-hand smoke. He was so fucking scared.

And then, Ritsu started laughing. He wasn't smiling, though. His eyes were dark, and Takano read them, frowning. RItsu had just broken everything by doing that.

His cold hands leaving Takano, Ritsu got up and walked away. Takano could have thrown up. What was going on? Ritsu had laughed at him this morning, too, and now he thought he could do it again. This was too much. Takano grabbed his wrist as he passed, but Ritsu stepped to the side.

"Hahaha... hahaha... Hahahaha... I'm not cheating on you."

"But..." Takano sat down on Ritsu's bed, weak. He let out a shuddering, relieved breath, willing calm to his heart. "So you're not... with... someone else?"

"Why would you think I'd be with someone else?"

Even after his mind had been put to rest, he was still feeling it. He was still scared. The idea of other, better men was still a possibility, but the immediate danger had passed and, relieved, he chuckled.

Ritsu glared at Takano for a full minute. He waved his hands and tugged at his hair and the dangerous, dark, heavy light in his eyes told Takano that he was weighted. That he _had been_ weighted. He'd been suffocating under Takano's expectations. It wasn't supposed to be like this; this isn't what the shojo manga's said it would be like. He would confess and they would ride together into the sunset, they would move in together, spend their nights together, eat together, read together, talk together- the point of two men dating. But that's what Ritsu was afraid of. Ritsu wasn't ready. Not yet, not for everything, not for that kind of intimacy.

But Takano was, he very much was, and he'd made it clear that what he wanted was Ritsu's everything, not just his words, not just a simple "I love you," especially not just a simple, unsatisfying, "I love you, but let's take it slow."

He had confessed two months ago. And he deeply regretted it.


	6. Chapter 6

Ritsu turned around."My confession, did it just, like, go straight over your big, thick head? I put effort into that, y'know." 

"That confession was half-assed anyway! Hey! Where are you going?"

"Just stay here." Ritsu's shirt collar was caught. Takano pulled him back.

"You're not going anywhere," Takano said. His voice was squeaky.

"Can't you ever just listen..." Ritsu mumbled, shaking him off. He left the room, and Takano was left to just turn away, but he mumbled and cursed and muttered.

When Ritsu came back, he was holding a mewling kitten. Takano was not expecting this; he did not understand the enigma that was Ritsu Onodera. He'd never understood him, anyway, but that was because Ritsu kept his mouth shut all the goddamn time. Like the kitten was just a tattered bag of manuscripts that smelled like patchouli and sweat, Ritsu unceremoniously shoved her into Takano's hands.

"I can give you this." Ritsu put his hands in his pockets as Takano started to play with the kitten.

"You're an idiot," said Takano. "You're allergic to cats. And this isn't enough."

"What? What do I owe you? God, Takano, you're unsatiable."

"All of you."

"No! Shut up!"

"Why?!"

Onodera moved away. He was going to leave again. But, at the last minute, he turned around and glared. He opened his mouth a few times, looking deliberate and indecisive, the knot in his brow hard. Takano waited. Then, Onodera said, "Well, the thing is, you don't trust me. And I don't trust you. This won't work. We can be in love but it's not going to work. Stop being a child and thinking it will."

" _Talk_ about _trust_." Takano sat down on Ritsu's bed. "That's just what you _think."_

The cat mewled a little bit, and Takano took the opportunity to rub the space between its ears. Onodera looked away. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and tugged at his hair; Takano was staring. He knew those tics. He'd been there all along to memorize those nervous tics, he'd been there all this time. They were meant to be together, but they were also so dark for each other. It wasn't right.

"You know, I do trust you," Takano muttered. "Tell me the truth, though."

"I don't want to have this conversation," Ritsu snapped, looking away. Takano pulled him in by his waist and wrapped his arms around him. "... so did you even mean it when you said you loved me?"

Ritsu put his hand over his mouth. Takano was staring. It was a scandal. "Y-yes," he deadpanned.

"You're lying."

"Huh?"

"Your eyes," said Takano. "They're doing that scrunch thing they do when you're lying. I can see it. I know you."

Takano gave him a look. Ritsu felt as though Takano was burning holes into him, and his heart pounded against his chest when Takano gave him his hand. Ritsu accepted the hand. But it was such a cold hand that Takano offered. The cat jumped off the bed and disappeared into some corner.

Ritsu laughed, but Takano squeezed his hand- hard. "You lied to me and you're lying to yourself. I don't know why you confessed before, but you didn't mean it. So tell me now and mean it." His fingers loosened on Ritsu's hand, and he dropped it, slowly.

But Ritsu caught it. He touched his eyes. They were wet and glassy. Takano's breath hitched, but he knew it would kill what he was trying to do if he moved to kiss Ritsu's falling tears away. "I-i'm scared of," Ritsu coughed. "I didn't want to... I thought if I said it and didn't act on it, you'd stop asking it from me. But I didn't... mean it. I'm sorry."

Ritsu wanted so badly for Takano to do something. He needed him to say something. But Takano just stared. He just stared and it wasn't any less painful than a wrench grinding his heart to shreds. He wanted to scream. And then, Takano muttered, "I knew you didn't mean it then. Something was off. Damn it, I know you to well. I can't help but ask for your love, Ritsu. I'm sorry."

Takano rubbed his eyes, sighing tiredly. Ritsu turned around, but Takano held him face by the hand. "Do you trust me, though?"

"...y-yes." His eyes widened at his own words, coming from his own mouth. Then, from the floor, the kitten mewled, demanding attention. Ritsu picked her up and gave her back to Takano. She was the color of cigarette smoke. Takano laughed. Ritsu chuckled, his tears drying.

"...you're a pretty girl," he said carefully, casting sidelong glances at Ritsu. "I want to call her Ritsuka. Oh... but, I don't know if I can take care of her all by myself." He stared at Ritsu.

Blushing, Ritsu nodded. "I guess I can stay help you take care of her."

"You'll stay... With me? To live with me?" Takano gaped. "What are you saying?"

Ritsu frowned. He scratched Ritsuka behind her ears and, to his surprise, for once, she purred for him. Takano reached out and shook his shoulder. He looked up. Ritsu spread his hands out, as if to present himself.

"I'm saying I love you. For real this time." He chuckled. "I trust you."


End file.
